


If I ain't got you SongFic

by ReignMyWorld



Category: Professional Wrestling, Roman Reigns - Fandom, WWE, World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/M, Fluff, Hurt, Roman Reigns Fluff, Songfic, mechanic AU, roman reigns angst, roman reigns comfort, roman reigns hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-08
Updated: 2019-02-08
Packaged: 2019-10-24 14:59:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17706470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReignMyWorld/pseuds/ReignMyWorld
Summary: You had met Roman some years ago when your car broke down in the middle of nowhere, managing to reach his garage just in time. Slowly but steadily you fell for each other, being happy as you could be. If it weren’t for your family. Coming from a wealthy background, they were not in acceptance with you dating a mechanic, whom they considered good enough for their social circle. It didn’t take long for him to have those doubts as well, questioning your relationship as a result.





	If I ain't got you SongFic

**Author's Note:**

> Note: I apologize in advance as I got really carried away with that one, so there are a lot of words and I mean a LOT of words. If you nevertheless feel like reading it, I would be really happy about that :-) (It’s good, I promise. Well, at least I hope so :D )
> 
> Request on Tumblr: “If I ain’t got you” SongFic by Alicia Keys
> 
> Warnings: Mechanic AU, angst, fluff, hurt, comfort
> 
> Pairing: Roman Reigns x Reader
> 
> Originally published here: https://reignmyworld.tumblr.com/post/182254872281/if-i-aint-got-you-songfic-roman-reigns-x-reader
> 
> Alicia Keys - If I ain't got you
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju8Hr50Ckwk

**_Some people live for the fortune_**  
**_Some people live just for the fame_**  
**_Some people live for the power, yeah_**  
**_Some people live just to play the game_**

_*Five years ago*_

„Hello, is there someone, that could help me?“, you wanted to know as you stepped into the dark, musty garage. On the one hand you were glad that you actually arrived here safe and sound and on the other hand you cursed yourself for getting into trouble and even more so you cursed your father. You were absolutely happy with your former car as it was all you needed to get from A to B. But it was typically your father to lecture you about how that „old clunker“ was not suitable for someone like you and that you should drive a car according to your and your family’s standards. He always made it sound as if you were better than the rest, as if the people in your circle of society wouldn’t bleed red like anyone else did. Of course, you loved your parents and you were grateful for the life they offered you, but you nevertheless couldn’t understand that arrogant behavior of having to dress according to society standards, having to stick to people of your social circle, having to go to one of the elite universities and yes, of driving a car, that was suitable for you, even if your father was the only one alongside your brother, that had that opinion.

You were quite sure that it wouldn’t have happened with your old car but now you were stuck in the middle of nowhere after the engine of your car began stuttering before it broke down completely just in time as you had reached that little gas station next to a garage. You were approximately 100 miles away from your hometown as you were on your way back from a business appointment your dad had asked you to join since you were part of his team of unrelenting lawyers. Well, and now you were stuck somewhere on the countryside, where you had to walk probably 10 miles until you would find the next best house. You just hoped, that you were at least lucky enough that someone would be working in the garage but the door not being locked gave you at least some hope, that dropped bit by bit, however, when you realized that you couldn’t hear any noise. „Hello?“, you tried it again but with just as much success as before, meaning none at all.

„For fuck’s sake.“, you grumbled, thinking how you should go on. A short glance at your cellphone told you that you didn’t even have a signal. „Great, just great.“, you sighed in annoyance. You slightly jumped as you suddenly heard a deep voice behind you asking: „May I help you?“ Your hand immediately covered your heart as you tried to calm down a little bit. Being sneaked up on somewhere in the middle of nowhere with no-one knowing where you were, was not exactly what you were looking for. „Damn, you have scared me.“, you said, trying to suppress the shaking of your hands as you were turning around. „I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.“, the guy in front of you said, almost making you hitch a breath. You had no idea what you were expecting but it definitely wasn’t a mechanic like him. The guy standing in front of you looked simply stunning. He was tall and muscled, his pitch black hair held in a bun, a few strains having fallen from it. The jeans, he was wearing, was ripped, the grey tank top spotted patterns of grease here and there. It was a rather tight fit on his body, giving away his defined chest, the tattoo covering his whole arm and part of his chest making him look more dangerous than he probably was. His huge hands were covered mostly with grease just like part of his face, telling you, that he must have worked on fixing a car just moments ago.

You had to tell yourself to look away as you were quite sure that you were not only staring but definitely checking him out, which you surely didn’t mean to although he was one of the hottest guys you had seen in your life. You almost drowned in his dark chocolate brown eyes, that sparkled with amusement, and it took you some time to figure out that he had been talking to you. You scolded yourself as you tried to focus on what he was saying, wanting to know: „I’m sorry, I must have went blank there. What have you said?“ His deep voice sounded entertained as he asked again: „I wanted to know whether I can help you.“

„Oh yeah, yeah.“, you nodded, taking a deep breath and replying: „My engine broke down on my way home and I have just made it here in time. Are you the only mechanic around?“

„Why? Don’t you trust me to be able to fix your car?“, he winked at you and you felt how heat was creeping up your neck as you shook your head, saying: „No, I didn’t mean it like that. I was just curious that is all.“

„Don’t worry, I was just joking. But to answer your question, yes, I’m the only mechanic here. This is my garage respectively my gas station.“ You nodded your head as you had no idea what to say. Actually, you were pretty good doing smalltalk and all in all you were good with words and carrying a conversation as well but at the moment you simply were at a loss for words. He - whoever he was - took a rag out of his pocket in order to clean his hands, saying: „How about you show me that car of yours and I see what I can do for you?“

„Sounds like a plan to me“, you nodded your head, walking past him so you could lead him to your car. Slowly but steadily you were gaining back your confidence as you reached it with him following on your heels. As you turned around, you pointed at your nose, saying amused: „You missed a spot there.“, causing him to clean his face like he did with his hands before. „Thanks, doll“, he winked at you and you had no idea how you should react as this certainly was not the way you were used to strangers talking to you. Then again, you were on the countryside, where this was probably normal. „That’s it“, you said, pointing at your car as if it would have been uncertain what you were talking about, causing him to whistle as soon as he took in the sight of your vehicle. „That Mercedes is yours?“, he wanted to know in disbelief, probably judging you already as daddy’s little girl, that got spoiled with all she wanted. You shrugged your shoulders as you answered: „Unfortunately it is, yes. It’s not that I could stand that car but my father was of the opinion, that it would bring me safely from A to B. Guess he was wrong and he should have let me stuck with my old companion.“ You sure as hell wouldn’t mention that your father was of the opinion, that it was only suitable for your social circle, having rambled about it too much already. You had no idea why you even mentioned it, he was a stranger after all, but somehow you had the feeling of having to justify yourself as you didn’t want to be seen as stuck up, something you hated to be seen as, especially since you were far from it, no matter your familiar background.

„It’s a beautiful car, that’s for sure. Unfortunately those modern vehicles are rather frail for errors of any kind, especially due to all the technical support systems they are packed with. You said that your engine broke down. Did it just go out from one moment to the next?“ You shook your head, explaining: „No it was basically stuttering for a bit when I were a few meters from your drive, so I guess I was just lucky that I actually made it to the gas station before it broke down in the middle of the street.“ He nodded his head, asking you to unlock the door so he could open the front lid in order to take a closer look. You did what he had been asking for and it didn’t take him long to actually find the damage. Although you had no knowledge about cars respectively their single components you listened closely when he informed you that the engine would have to be replaced, which was not only expensive but also would take some time to have it ordered and delivered. „You’re not having one of those here?“, you wanted to know, being quite sure that a garage in the city wouldn’t have to waste much time in order to repair your car, well at least not those, that you usually went to when something with it was wrong. He gave you a look as if you had lost your mind as he replied: „Sweetheart, those garages you’re probably used to, might have them in storage but if you look around this is a tiny place here. People, that come here and need my help, usually drive older cars with a minimum to zero extra equipment. So no, I don’t happen to have that special engine in the back of my garage. Fan-belts, spark plugs, brake disks, those kind of things, yes. An engine for your sports car? Definitely not.“

You gave him an annoyed look, on the one hand because he made you sound really dumb and on the other, because you certainly were not a fan of being given nicknames by a stranger, no matter how hot he was. „Yeah I got it, thank you for the explanation. How long does it take to order the engine, have it delivered and have the car fixed?“, you asked, being pretty sure that you actually didn’t want to know the answer. „A week if we’re lucky. Deliveries out here aren’t really on time to put it in a nice way. They either arrive or they don’t. And usually people around here just accept it. It’s more of a „When it comes, then it comes“ kind of thing.“

„A week? You can’t be serious. I need to be back in the city tomorrow afternoon at the latest as I have an important business appointment.“, you exclaimed, not willing to accept his answer. „Well I guess you have to cancel that one, doll.“; he winked at you, causing you to groan out in frustration. „Could you please stop with all of those nicknames? I didn’t know that we had met each other before. And I can’t just cancel that appointment. I have to discuss an important law suit with a client. Is there nothing you can do?“ If he was offended by you calling him out due to the names he had been giving you, he at least didn’t show it as he responded: „I’m not familiar with practicing magic, I’m sorry princess. So no, there is nothing I can do.“

„So what do you suggest? That I stay in the middle of nowhere for at least a week until my car is repaired? Do you even have something like a motel out here?“ You highly doubted it as you hadn’t seen too many houses along the way, especially none, that had offered a room to rent. You cursed this whole day. You were tired after the meeting marathon you had, it was already dawning, your brand new car, that you didn’t even want to drive, broke down in the middle of nowhere, and now it even seemed as if you had no chance of getting away from there within the next hours. Somehow you had the feeling, that it couldn’t get worse. Well, you were wrong when the mechanic told you: „Unfortunately not. Motels aren’t a thing around here. Since we’re not really near one of those highways being regularly and frequently used, motel owners couldn’t really survive out here due to the missing customers.“ Perfect, it just went worse.

Your frustration grew bit by bit and you felt how you were close to tearing up, an annoying habit of yours as you tended to get rather emotional when being frustrated. It was not so much that you would scream around and throw a tantrum, no, it were rather tears of frustration, that you had to fight back constantly, when something didn’t go the way you planned. You took a deep breath, trying to figure out your options. You certainly didn’t want to call your father for help although he would have probably picked you up but since you and him had your problems recently that definitely was off the table. And you highly doubted that a taxi would drive so far into the countryside, probably just shrugging it off as a joke when you called for one, that was if you found a telephone, that was actually working. Your brother was off the table as well. You actually got along quite well with him in former times but ever since he had become your father’s business partner, being engaged to a rather stuck up bitch, whose family had even more money than your own, he got lost almost completely in his arrogance and probably would use the situation you found yourself in as a further occasion to lecture you how you have failed again as for him, anything that didn’t meet extraordinary measurements, was classified a failure. So no, that wasn’t an option either.

„Damn it.“, you mumbled as you ran out of ideas how you should go on from here. „I guess you have no-one to pick you up?“, he wanted to know with you shaking your head as you answered: „My family and friends live in my hometown approximately 100 miles from here and even if they would be willing to drive here, most of them I wouldn’t want to ask for help even if my life depended on it.“ You gave him a sad smile as you realized how terrible that must have sounded but whatever he was thinking, he didn’t give it away. Although he was friendly and polite he obviously had judged you to a certain degree already as he said: „It probably doesn’t meet your usual standards but if you want to, you could stay in my home for the night. It’s nothing fancy but at least it’s a roof over one’s head. And I promise that I’m not a psychopathic serial killer.“ He gave you a beautiful smile and you couldn’t help but chuckle although you were slightly offended by the fact, that he obviously was of the opinion that you would turn up your nose at standards lower than what you were used to. You couldn’t help but ask yourself what an expression you must have given to people, that didn’t know you as you always thought that you were different than your family, that you didn’t send out an aura of arrogance, that money hadn’t corrupted you or put you in a position where you thought you were better than other people. You tried to push those thoughts away, didn’t even want to think about why you were thinking such things just because a stranger said something about standards, that probably wouldn’t meet what you’re used to, but you couldn’t help that you were questioning yourself.

„That’s probably exactly what a psychopathic serial killer would say if he wanted to lure his next victim into his home.“, you said amused, causing him to laugh out loud, answering: „Yeah probably. But I can promise you that I will do you no harm.“ You had no idea why, since you actually were a person, that didn’t trust other people easily, but somehow you could tell that he was sincere. And it wasn’t as if you had much of a choice anyway, so you gladly accepted his offer. At least you wouldn’t have to stay outside in the middle of nowhere and sleep in your car. And it would give you some time to think about your next steps. „Can I leave my car like that? I mean no one’s going to steal it, will they?“

„I’m pretty sure that no one’s coming in order to do so. The people living in the nearby town don’t even lock their doors since everyone is only interested in their own stuff and don’t really care for other people’s poverties. So you’re good. Besides that, we don’t have much of a choice than to leave it here. Well, except for pushing it into the garage, so if you want to help me, we can definitely try it.“

„No, I’m good. My heart’s not really attached to it. I would just hate if I had to explain it being gone to the insurance at a later time.“, you shrugged your shoulders, before you got your little suitcase out of the trunk and locked the car afterwards. Whenever the gas station and garage would get closed, you were ready to go. „Give me a few minutes to take care of everything around here and I will give you a ride, okay?“

„Absolutely fine for me.“ Before he turned around he held out his hand to you, an irresistible smile on his lips, saying: „I’m Roman by the way.“ You shook his hand, returning his smile, answering: „I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you, Roman and thanks for saving me out here.“

„It’s my pleasure“, he said amused before he turned around to head back into the garage in order to turn off the lights there. Staring at his back now you had to admit to yourself that his ass was just as stunning as anything else on him. „Good Lord, Y/N, stop it. You’re not a teenager with a hormone problem anymore.“, you scolded yourself, shaking your head due to your behavior. Instead of drooling over a hot mechanic, you should have thought how to get back and what to do with the important meeting, that you probably would miss tomorrow. And more importantly how you should get back respectively what you should tell if you didn’t return until your car was fixed. 

You were leaning against your car, watching how the sun slowly set on the fields, being suddenly blinded by a pair of headlights. You were obviously so caught up in your thoughts, that you didn’t even hear the car drawing nearer until it stopped right next to yours. „Jump in“, Roman said through the open window of his old pick up truck and you couldn’t help but smile. You definitely preferred those old cars over those fancy modern ones. You moved over to the passenger’s side and slipped onto the seat there. Before you could say anything you heard his deep voice: „It’s not as fancy as your Mercedes but at least it’s driving.“ You shook your head as you mumbled: „It’s perfect the way it is.“  As soon as he had reached the highway, you wanted to know: „Do you live far from your workplace?“

„It’s a matter of perspective and how you define far I guess. It’s approximately 20 miles one way.“ As you realized what direction you were taking you stated: „I think I had passed that little town shortly before my car started to mess up.“

„Quite possibly, yeah. It’s not too big, actually the typical American small town with a few farms surrounding it.“

„I’m sorry if I sound noisy, but how can you actually make a living here? I mean, you said before, that here aren’t even motels since this is not one of the frequented routes.“ You heard him chuckle as he answered: „I’m not living from people, that happen to pass by. Of course, there are some when they take this route to get to their destinations instead of the packed ones, but most of the time it’s the people living in the small towns around here. My hometown is not the only one, there are a few in a few miles distance and mine is the only gas station respectively garage around here. So sooner or later if they need something, they end up here. Besides that, I’m actually specialized on old-timers and not many repair them anymore nowadays. So from time to time I’m called to bigger towns or cities if they can’t fix their old cars themselves, which basically gives me an extra income.“ You nodded your head in understanding, having to admit to yourself that you didn’t even think of the fact, that his garage could be the only one in a radius of several miles. You had no idea how long you were actually driving until Roman stopped the car in front of a beautiful yet old house. „Here we are“, he said before he got out of the car, closing the door behind him, moving over to your side, opening the door for you so you could get out. „Thank you.“, you stated, following him after he had told you to do so.

**_Some people think that the physical things_**  
**_Define what’s within_**  
**_And I’ve been there before but that life’s a bore_**  
**_So full of the superficial_**

When you entered the house, you had a feeling of security, that you couldn’t really explain. It was absolutely cozy here and the whole furniture, the decorations and everything else were so much more loving placed than the ones in your parental home could have ever been. There were pictures on the wall, that caught your attention. You didn’t want to be noisy but you found yourself peeking at them. Roman must have noticed while getting rid off his shoes, stating: „That’s my parents and my little sister. You probably find pictures like those in every room if you just take a look.“ You smiled sadly as you answered: „They are beautiful. The only family picture in my former home was a big one, that rather served for representation purposes than to treasure a valuable memory.“ You could not really name the look he was giving you but if you had to take a close guess, it looked mostly like compassion. You shrugged it off as you certainly didn’t feel like talking about your family now. You followed Roman’s example, getting rid off your shoes as well before you followed him into the kitchen. A short glance in the refrigerator told him, that he should run for errands rather soon, hence why he let you know, an apologizing look on his face: „I must have forgotten to replace everything in here. Usually my sister is the responsible one when it comes to that. All I can offer you are the ingredients for a sandwich. It’s not much, I know, but it’s better than nothing.“

„It’s absolutely enough. Thank you.“, you said before you sat down at one of the chairs at the kitchen table. As Roman was collecting everything he needed, he let you know: „You can either have my sister’s room or my own and I crash on the couch. Whatever you prefer.“ Although you felt kind of comfortable here, you didn’t want to be an intruder and you certainly didn’t want to make any inconveniences, hence why you said: „Neither you nor your sister have to move because of me. If I can sleep on the couch I’m more than just grateful.“ You had no idea how old he was but you found it kind of strange that he was still living in his parental home. Then again, maybe they were so old already that they needed his every day help and therefore he didn’t bother to live somewhere else. You were curious, yet you didn’t dare to ask. He was placing everything in front of you before sitting down himself, a bright smile on his face as he answered: „You’re not making any inconveniences Y/N, don’t worry. My sister is currently away in college so her room is vacant. And I’m sure she wouldn’t mind.“ You felt how you were getting emotional, seeing how someone, that knew nothing about you but your name was so friendly and helpful while your own family probably wouldn’t even have thought offering a tiny piece of help as someone like him wouldn’t have been worth their effort. You gulped hard, mumbling a silent “thank you”, before you made yourself dinner. You were eating in silence for quite a bit before your curiosity had the worst of you. „May I ask you something?“, you wanted to know with Roman nodding his head, stating: „Sure, go ahead.“

„Isn’t it lonely out here? I mean at your workplace? Have you never felt the urge to go to college and move away from here to a place, where there’s more life?“ You were aware how arrogant that must have sounded but you certainly didn’t want to indicate that his job was a lousy one. It was more out of curiosity since you had grown up in completely different surroundings. „You mean go to college and become someone important? Someone, that wouldn’t come home at the late evening covered in grease and dirt and smelling of sweat?“ You had no idea whether he was hurt or not and before you could take back, what you had said before, he gave you a sad smile, explaining: „Don’t worry Y/N, I didn’t take it the wrong way. I actually went to college a couple of years ago. That was, when my sister was still at the beginning of junior high. This gas station and garage was something my father had taken over from his father and he had taken it over from his and so on. And although I love it and always wanted to be in charge one day, I hadn’t thought that it would be so fast. I think I was in my 3rd semester, I wanted to study afterwards and I wanted to work somewhere in the big city for quite some time before I intended to return and step into my father’s footprints. Unfortunately destiny seemed to have other plans for me. One day when I was preparing for a rather important exam I received a call from my aunt, asking me to come home immediately. My parents had been killed in a terrible car crash and my sister couldn’t bear it. My aunt had been afraid that she would do something to herself. That basically was the moment the life I initially had dreamed about for myself was over. I left college, returned home to this town and took care of my sister the best I somehow could, trying to replace the parents we both had lost. And since it was always her dream to see the world, to become a doctor one day, I stayed here, trying to earn the money the best I could by taking over the garage and the gas station, so I could support her, so at least one of us could live the dream we had. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here, I love what I’m doing and I hope that I’m making my father proud although he doesn’t know about it, but it was not exactly what I had planned. And I know that my parents hadn’t either as they wanted me to live my dream, they wanted me to study, live and work in the big city, but destiny just wasn’t in agreement with our plans.“

You felt that you were close to tearing up when you whispered: „I’m so sorry. When did this happen?“ He gave you a sad smile, answering: „ A few years ago, but I still haven’t managed to go into their room. It still looks like it did the day they left. Going in there is just too overwhelming. So I would offer you that room to stay in, but I don’t want it to change, as stupid as that may sound.“

„That doesn’t sound stupid at all, quite the contrary actually.“, you mentioned, your voice thick with emotion, cursing yourself that you made him share his terrible story with you. Roman made you snap out of your thoughts when he wanted to know, probably in an attempt to lift the mood: „What was your old companion?“

„I beg your pardon?“, you looked at him confused as he chuckled, explaining: „Back at the gas station you mentioned, that your father should have let you stuck with your old companion. What car were you driving before?“ You smiled sadly at him as you answered: „A Volkswagen Beetle.“ With him asking in surprise: „Really?“ You nodded your head as you could tell, that he was rather curious and since he had been so open to you, you felt as if you should explain it in more detail. You took a deep breath before you stated: „I probably should explain that. What you have told about your parents, about your family as a whole, they sound as if they were really loving people, that cared for you and that just wanted the best for you. My family is kind of different. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure that my father and my mother love me just like my older brother does, but they don’t have a loving mannerism to them, they don’t really show it. You probably have already thought about it, maybe even judged me which I can’t blame you for, but my family is rather wealthy, being part of a higher social circle. I grew up rich, if I said that I wanted a horse, I knew that it would have been in front of my door the next day. My parents, my whole family, lives and breathes for money, they define themselves over status symbols. My dad had established a rather famous law firm and for him, just like my mother it was clear that my brother and myself should join it, first as employees, then as business partners and later we should take it over. They never cared about what I actually wanted. Sure they gave me a life, where I had not to worry how to make a living but they didn’t care about what made me happy. My brother is different, he’s just like my dad. They share the same vision, they share the same graving for materialistic things. I never wanted to go to Harvard, I never wanted to study law, I never wanted to be a part of that social circle they expect me to be a part of. But they didn’t care as it was simply expected. I always wanted to break free, I wanted to live my dream. And I tried to do so by taking a side job as a waitress without them knowing as they would have forbidden it, telling me that it was not suitable for someone like me. But I loved it. Whenever I told them that I would be meeting some friends, I worked my shifts and for months and years I was saving the money I made there to buy that old Volkswagen Beetle. It belonged to one of the regular customers at the diner I had been working in. She loved it dearly as it was a gift from her husband, that had died a long time ago. When she was too old to drive on her own I asked whether I could buy her car as it would have broken my heart to watch her as she had to give it away. She was  so grateful, even wanted to give it to me as a gift, but I wanted her to have the money I have worked for. I can’t even explain it, but it meant a lot to me to buy something so valuable with the money I have earned for myself, even if it was an old car, that a lot of other people would have brought to the next best junk yard. But for her it meant wonderful memories and for me it meant treasuring something, that was so valuable to someone before, as well as fulfilling my dream of buying something I have worked and saved for. I absolutely loved that VW Beetle and I was so happy when I returned home with it although it turned out that I was the only one. When my dad saw it, he threw a tantrum, accusing me of betraying his principles, lecturing me in what his friends and our family should think if his daughter drove around in something so poor like that car. He wanted to have it taken away but somehow I managed to keep it although he had ignored me for months. But for me it was not only a car, it was a sign for the freedom and the dream I was craving for, and that my parents didn’t want me to have. When it finally didn’t work anymore I was heartbroken. And I hated that Mercedes, that my father gifted me with. I have lied to you before. His reason was not to get me safe from A to B, his main concern simply was that I should drive a car, that was representable for him. And I absolutely hate it.“

**_Some people want it all_**  
**_But I don’t want nothing at all_**  
**_If it ain’t you, baby_**  
**_If I ain’t got you, baby_**

Roman listened closely to your story and he felt a deep wave of compassion for you. Growing up with parents, that only wanted him and his sister to be happy, to live their dreams, hearing something so different from his own, made his heart heavy. You gave him another sad smile as you stated: „I’m probably the typical poor rich girl, that everyone has heard of but no-one ever believed to exist.“  

„That sounds absolutely terrible.“

„That’s how life is, I suppose.“ You shrugged your shoulders, trying to somehow hide your emotions. „I’m sorry. I mean growing up like that must have been… I don’t even have words for that.“, Roman said, his voice heavy with compassion. „It’s okay, I’m still here after all.“ , you joked, turning quiet afterwards just like he did. You sat together in a comfortable silence for quite a bit before Roman wanted to know: „Have you thought about what you want to do with your car? As already stated I probably can only repair it within a week at the earliest. Since you mentioned that you need to be back tomorrow, I could try to get a tow truck from the city, that could bring your car in a bigger garage and could give you a ride while doing so. I would drive you myself but unfortunately I’m having an appointment tomorrow and I have no idea how easily I can cancel that.“ A feeling of gratitude washed over you as you realized how helpful and kind he was. You really wished, that you would have known more people like him. Before you could answer he winked at you, saying: „Or you cancel your meeting and stay here until your car is fixed, driving it home yourself once it has its new engine.“ You were not sure whether he was joking or not, but if you were honest to yourself you kind of liked the idea. Simply not going back in time, simply not following your father’s will, that differed so much from your own, being rebellious like you never had been in your life. And you actually wouldn’t mind getting to know that stranger, in whose house you had been invited, better as he seemed to be a really sweet and kind guy. You were curious hence why you asked: „Why? Would you give me shelter for as long as you need to get my car going again?“ He looked at you rather surprised, obviously not having thought that you even considered it but with an irresistible smile he answered: „Absolutely, if you want to stay here until your car is repaired, you are my guest.“

„Well in that case, I’m gratefully accepting that kind offer once again.“ Roman chuckled as he wanted to know: „What about that really important business meeting tomorrow?“

„Screw that. Since my brother thinks that I’m a failure nevertheless, I’m pretty sure that he’s just waiting for me to mess up, so he can improve his status. I’m just making it easy for him.“, you winked at Roman, causing him to laugh out loud. „Your brother sounds like a complete jackass.“

„That’s actually way too polite for him.“, you laughed as well, talking with him for quite some additional time before you decided to call it a day, heading for his sister’s room in order to get some sleep. 

The next day started with nothing else than a huge dispute, that you had already expected, the moment you called your father in order to let him know, that you wouldn’t return for a week at least. He was screaming around, giving you the feeling as if you were a little girl and demanding to know whether you had no sense of responsibility at all since you obviously willingly put a major law suit at stake by not showing up. When you told him about your broke car, he demanded to know where you were, so someone could pick you up but you firmly declined, ending the call right afterwards. You were sure that he was fuming and you couldn’t care less as it felt way too good to not do what he was expecting from you constantly.  „Is he out to murder you already?“, Roman asked amused as he was handing you a cup of coffee, that you thankfully took, taking a sip and replying just as amused as he was: „Probably. Let’s just hope that he hadn’t tracked down my location.“

“I wouldn’t worry about that. The middle of nowhere can’t be tracked.”, he winked, causing you to laugh even harder. Since you hadn’t to do anything now, you decided to accompany Roman during his work at the garage. Not that you could have done a lot there, but you could keep him company at least, making those hours more enjoyable during which no customer showed up by telling him random stories from your childhood and listening to his as well. And somewhere in between he had been making a few calls to have your engine delivered, but no matter where he had asked to order it, the fastest it could get delivered was two weeks. You could tell that he was sorry, that he hadn’t better news for you but if you were honest to yourself, you didn’t mind. Staying for a week longer didn’t sound too bad to you since you actually really liked his company. The more time and days passed by, the both of you noticed, that you had quite a lot in common despite your complete different upbringing. You shared the same taste in music, you were entertained by a lot of the same things, you were in agreement to a lot of political views just like you agreed on a lot of things with regard to the morality compass. You had the feeling as if you found that one friend in him, that you had wished for throughout your life, but haven’t had until now. And you were absolutely grateful, that he didn’t see a spoiled rich girl in you, but the sweet person you really were, the one, that despised the arrogance your family was going through life with. And you had to admit that you liked this way of life you were living now.

You would have never imagined that you could survive outside of the city as you liked having everything in close reach, but staying here on the countryside now gave you a feeling of peace. Everything was at ease, the hectic of the city was not present and you loved the fact, that you didn’t have to sugar coat clients and possible business partners but that you could work with your own hands. Since Roman didn’t want to take money from you for giving you a place to stay and since you were not willing to accept this gratitude without showing yourself grateful, you had decided to help him at the gas station and the garage. And although there was not much that you could do, you nevertheless enjoyed the feeling of falling into your bed exhausted, knowing that you had achieved something with your hands, that was not only due to hard negotiations. If someone asked you whether you wanted to trade this life for yours, you would have probably said yes. But like all good things this one had to come to an end as well.

Just as he had estimated, it took Roman two weeks to repair your car, two weeks where your enraged father and brother almost tried to call you daily with you ignoring each of their calls. You were an adult after all and therefore were not obliged to answer to them. Besides that, you were sick and tired of living your life the way they wanted you to. When you threw your suitcase in the trunk of your car that day, you felt untypical melancholic, not feeling like leaving at all. But you knew that you had to, knowing that you have found a great friend within those two weeks. “Promise me to give me a call once you have reached your home, will you? I just want to make sure that your family hasn’t lynched you in the meantime.”, Roman smirked at you as he pulled you in a close hug with your returning it right away, laughing out loud as you replied: “Yeah I will. Maybe I should go into hiding for a bit.”

“Or you just call me if you need any help.”

“That sounds like an even better plan”, you winked at him before you said your goodbye, driving back into your old life, already missing what you had left behind.

**_Some people want diamond rings_**  
**_Some just want everything_**  
**_But everything means nothing_**  
**_If I ain’t got you, yeah_**

_*Three years ago*_

“Say that again. And you better add this time that you were just joking.”, your father yelled at you with your brother next to him, being just as pissed as he was. You shot them a deadly look, wanting to kill them as you hissed: “Could you turn the volume down? You have heard me quite well.”

“I’m not even thinking of turning the volume down.”, your father enraged, being even louder than he had been before, adding: “What the hell were you actually thinking?” You had guessed that your family’s reaction would be hostile, but you wouldn’t have expected it to reach such dimensions.

When you had returned home after your car breaking down in the middle of nowhere two years ago, your father as well as your brother demanded an explanation what you were thinking, all while your mother stayed in the background rather. They wanted to know whether you had no feeling of responsibility, blaming you for almost losing a rather important client and yet you couldn’t have cared less. 

During those two weeks you had lived a life you always wanted, you felt free, you felt satisfied. And that was not only because of the great company Roman turned out to be but also because you didn’t have to live the life of others, you didn’t have to bow down to a social circle you didn’t feel well in, no. You were able to simply be you, to not care about any materialistic stuff, to just live like you wanted to. You stayed in contact with Roman after having returned to your old life and you were beyond happy when he called you a few weeks after, asking you whether you would like to meet him for a coffee since one of the famous garages in your city had called him for help with repairing a rather rare old-timer none of the mechanics of said garage were familiar with. You didn’t have to think twice to accept his invitation and just like during those two weeks, you enjoyed every second in his presence, the time passing by incredibly fast.

When he had to leave, you told him that you would visit him the next weekend, offering to help him with the gas station, which he eagerly accepted. From there life kind of went its own way. It started with a sweet kiss before you found yourself in his arms with him making love to you in the sweetest way possible and before you knew it, you were already dating for a little more than one and a half year. It wasn’t always easy due to the different lifestyles you were living, not even speaking of the distance that separated you, but somehow you managed it. You wanted to make it official and although Roman’s sister, that you loved more than you could have ever loved your own brother, and his friends knew with all of them accepting you right away, it was another level with regard to your family. You wanted to, you really did, but you were persistent as you could have only imagined your family’s reaction, letting Roman know about it. It was only his positive thinking, his reassurance that he could deal with them, that convinced you that you could tell your family about your relationship and now… Well, you wished you hadn’t done so.

You had invited your family for dinner, your father, your mother as well as your brother and his wife. A mistake, you should have known in advance about. Roman had helped you with the food, had helped you with decorating the dining room and most of all he had helped you with calming your nerves, by telling you: “Baby, it’s alright. I’m not expecting them to love me. I just don’t want you to be so secretive about it. I know that you’re doing it for me, but I can deal with it, I really can.” For the occasion he had even jumped in a nice suit, kind of changing his appearance and if it wasn’t for his rough palms, that gave away that he was working with his hands, he could have made people believe that he was a doctor, lawyer or a media mogul in one of the most important media conglomerates in the world.

When your family visited you that day, the atmosphere changed. They eyed him curiously, but nevertheless stayed polite in their own cold ways. It was alright as long as you were engaged in general topics and you were already kind of relieved that they seemed to accept the man in your life, that held your heart. That was until your brother wanted to know what university he went to and in what kind of influential company he and his family were working at. You could have heard a needle being dropped when Roman told your family that he had left college after three semesters and that he took over his father’s garage and gas station after his death. You could see the change in your family’s facial expressions after learning about his job and they certainly were not of the compassionate kind. Your heart almost broke for the man you loved, being confronted now with your family, that obviously though that he wasn’t worth anything. Your father demanded, that you would follow him in the hallway, your brother being on your heels while your mother and sister-in-law stayed behind, neither of them saying a word. You had closed the door behind you, although you knew that it had no sense in doing so as your father’s enraged voice could have been heard on the street probably.

**_Some people search for a fountain_**  
**_That promises forever young_**  
**_Some people need three dozen roses_**  
**_And that’s the only way to prove you love him_**

You were listening to his rant as he yelled at you: “What the hell were you thinking, Y/N? When you told me, that you wanted to introduce your boyfriend to me, I expected that you would know your place, that you would have brought someone at home, that was settled in our social circle. And then you have the guts to introduce a mechanic to me? A mechanic?! I don’t care if he’s a great guy or not, he does not belong by your side. Can you even imagine what our friends and business partners might think when they learn that my daughter, a Harvard alumni and future co-owner of my law firm is dating a filthy mechanic? Have you ever considered what this would mean for our social status?” You had enough by now. You would have been alright with your family insulting you only, but talking Roman down, knowing exactly that he could hear anything from the next room, was more than you could bear. It was probably for the first time in your life, that you found the courage to yell back just like he did: “You know what father? I don’t care about your social circle, I don’t care about your law firm, I don’t care about your money or about your materialistic symbols of wealth. And most of all I don’t care anymore about pleasing you, about adjusting to your life, about living your dream. I never wanted this lifestyle, I never wanted to pick friends from your so called social circle, I never wanted to go to Harvard, I never wanted to work in your law firm and I sure as hell never wanted your car, your apartment or your money. You want to be rude to me, want to call me names, want to belittle me, sure go ahead, do that. But I’m not letting you badmouth the man I love, the man, that is so much more than you or my brother could ever be. And I’m not letting you badmouth his family, his upbringing, his life, his job or anything else. With all of your need for materialistic stuff, for your wealth and your reputation, you have never, never in your entire life, bothered to ask me what I wanted. You just assumed, just expected me to live my life according to your dreams, according to your rules, according to your expectations. You didn’t give a simple fuck whether I was happy, whether that’s what I wanted, no, you just formed me after your idea. Do you want to know one thing? There were only two times in my life when I was happy. Once was when I bought that VW Beetle, that you hated so much, and the other time was when I met Roman and how my life has developed from there. There is one thing, that he had learned from his family, he was taught from an early age despite them not having a full bank account, something that absolutely lacked in our family and that’s to be kind to each other, to be grateful and to give back. All you can do is to take, to demand and to toss out the ones, that don’t fit your ideas of perfection.”

You could see, that he was close to slapping you, something he didn’t do but your brother took care of as he smacked you on the cheek, screaming: “How dare you talk to our father like that? How dare you disgrace us with choosing a mechanic as your partner?” Before you could say anything, your father took your brother’s side, yelling: “It was more than just clear what you think of us and how ungrateful you are for the life we had been offering you. You don’t want to be in my law-firm? Consider yourself fired. You don’t care about the apartment, you are living in? You are out of it by the end of the week. You don’t care about us and the social circle you belong to? Fine, feel free to be happy with that poor mechanic in there, but don’t you dare, to come back crawling in our life, wanting all of this to magically return to you.” 

You didn’t know what you were expecting, but at least you would have thought that they would swallow their pride and somehow accept who you chose to love. But it turned out that your family was even worse than you would have guessed. You took a deep breath before you replied just as loud as they had yelled at you: “As of now it still is my apartment you are standing in. Grab your stuff and get the fuck out of my home. You don’t want to see me again, don’t want to have me in your life, fine, it’s not like I’m begging to have you in mine either. Just get lost for good.“

There were a few moments of deadly silence before your father and your brother called for their wives and with one last slam of the door they left not only your apartment but also your life. You were trembling with shock and anger, the latter one boiling inside of you due to all of the nasty things you had just heard, your anger overwhelming you as you felt tears falling down on your cheek. You didn’t want to cry but it was your usual reaction when you were mad. You were not crying due to your family abandoning you, you were crying due to the knowledge that Roman had to listen to their words, had to listen to them thinking that he was worth shit, had to listen to your family not accepting your love, knowing that his own would have accepted you with open arms.  
You felt how strong arms embraced you, pulling you closer until your were wrapped in a feeling of security as he was holding you close, mumbling words, that should calm you down although your didn’t really understand them. "I’m so sorry, so terribly sorry.”, you sobbed again and again, not really having the right words to express how terrible you felt, how much you despised your family for having treated him like they did, for them not being able to accept people, that didn’t live the same way of life like they did. “It’s okay baby girl, you have warned me beforehand. I can live with them neither liking nor accepting me. But I can’t live with seeing you as desperate and heartbroken as you are now. I’m so sorry that I talked you into introducing me to them. If I had known that this would take such a terrible turn I would have never proposed it, I would have never asked you to go that final step. I’m sorry, sorry for destroying your family.”, he mumbled, his voice sounding just as heartbroken as you felt.

You needed a moment to process what he had been saying, not being able to believe what you had just heard. You stared at him in shock, his expression full of pain and guilt, shaking your head vehemently. Your family treated him like crap, your family acted as if he was worth less than they were just because he wasn’t wealthy, your family didn’t accept him although he had been nothing but polite and kind, and now he was the one apologizing for the outcome, apologizing for your family having tossed you out of their life, apologizing for them not accepting who you loved and how you wanted to live? And not only that but he also wanted to take the blame for that? You were crying even harder by now, needing some time until you found your voice again before you said, your voice breaking in between again and again: “Don’t tell me that you are serious right now, Ro. My family treats you like dirt and you really want to take blame for that? They are disgusting, they are arrogant and superficial assholes only valuing money and even more money. You are the best thing, that has ever happened to me, so don’t you dare to blame yourself for their disgusting behavior, for them being assholes through and through.” He whipped away your tears and you could tell, that he was still blaming himself for how this evening had went, for you facing the end of your current financial stability and your previous lifestyle, that had ended so abruptly. “I’m sorry nevertheless.”, he whispered, leaning down to give you a soft kiss, that you immediately returned, wrapping your hands around his neck while doing so.

When you broke apart, you gave him a sad smile, whispering: “You know how we have always talked about how much a long distance relationship sucks?” He gave you a little smile himself, answering: “Yeah and I’m still of that opinion.”

“Well given that I was basically thrown out of my apartment, do you mind if you give me shelter once again? I’m even happy with the basement.”

“Are you serious? I mean I will give you all the shelter, that you ask for, and I would love you living with me, but… I mean, it’s not the big city, you know that.”

“It’s the place I prefer most in this world. And I would live anywhere, even if it was a small cottage with no-one around, with no running water or electricity, as long as you would be by my side.” You could tell how touched he was by your words, searching for the right ones himself. You were gently touching his scruffy cheek, your fingertips trailing along his jawline. „I love you so much, I don’t even have enough words to describe it.“, he whispered, placing a soft kiss on your forehead with you whispering just as softly: „I love you too, Ro, more than anything else in this world.“

**_Hand me the world on a silver platter_**  
**_And what good would it be?_**  
**_With no one to share_**  
**_With no one who truly cares for me_**

_*One year ago*_

„You can’t do this. We can’t do this. We just can’t go on like that.“, Roman grunted as he sat down on the couch at home while you were leaning against the doorframe, your arms crossed in front of your chest, as you didn’t want to believe your ears. „You can’t be serious, Ro.“, you answered, being shocked by the disbelief in your voice.

After your father had told you to leave not only your home but also your family, you had moved in with Roman two years ago and you had loved every single second ever since. Of course, it had been a massive change when taking your former life into consideration, but it was a change for the best. You were living the life now, that you always wanted to live. You didn’t need money, didn’t need materialistic things, wealth, a high society profile, an influential reputation or a reputable job to be happy. All you wanted, all you needed was a person you felt comfortable with, a person, that accepted you like you were, a person, that loved you. And you had found that. All, that counted for you, was being by his side and you couldn’t have asked for anything else. You absolutely adored living where you were now, you loved the friends you had found, you loved Roman’s sister like your own, the one you never had, and you enjoyed learning to fix and service cars bit by bit. This job maybe wasn’t exactly what you had dreamed about in the beginning, but it meant a lot to you returning home at the end of the day and knowing that you had done work with your own hands. Putting all of the happiness you were feeling aside, however, the both of you had your ups and downs, more ups of course than downs, but they were there nevertheless. You loved each other deeply and you didn’t get tired of showing and proving it to each other, but sometimes Roman doubted himself.

And within the last few weeks, basically during that time where you had mentioned that you wouldn’t mind becoming his wife after he had asked you jokingly whether you would say yes, he had changed. You were discussing the same topic again and again, always with the same outcome, but no matter how often you told him, it seemed as if he didn’t want to listen. Just like he didn’t want to that evening, that basically marked the biggest argument you had until now. You were not willing to accept that, were not willing to agree with him as you knew how stupid that was.

As you were waiting for his answer, you watched him as he was taking a deep breath, his voice not only frustrated but desperate at the same time: „I’m serious, baby, more than serious. I can’t give you what you deserve. You deserve the life you had lived before you met me. I love you, you are the best thing, that had ever happened to me, but I’m aware that I can’t ask this of you. I can’t ask you to become my wife, I can’t doom you to continue living here, can’t make you stay here and work in a gas station and a garage. That’s not the life, that you’re used to, that you should live. And I can’t give you another one, I just can’t. You deserve so much more than this here. Your father was right, when he told you that a poor mechanic is nothing for you. You should have listened to him. You could be married to a guy by now, that could grant your every wish, that you could go to the fanciest parties with, that could give you the world. And yet you had been wasting your life with me for the past couple of years, in a town, that is not good enough for you, in a house, that’s not good enough for you, with a guy, that is not good enough for you. I should be able to give you the world and yet I’m not able to give you even the tiniest bit of it. You deserve so much better, baby, so much better than I could ever give you. Your father and your brother were right. I never wanted to accept it and yet, they were right. I…“

Before he could continue, you stopped him right there and then. „Shut it, Ro, just shut it for fuck’s sake.“, you groaned as you left your position and moved into the room, closer to where he was sitting. As you were standing in front of him, you demanded: „Look at me.“, only continuing as soon as you had his full attention while his eyes rested on you: „I have no idea what’s wrong with you recently. If it is because of that wedding joke you cracked and my answer just tell me. I don’t force you to marry me, I don’t need you to do if you don’t feel like that. But stop it, for fuck’s sake, stop what you had just said and don’t you dare to repeat that ever again. Every since I had met you my life basically began. This right here, this small town, this house, you by my side, this is all that matters, all that counts, all I need to be happy. I had wealth, I had money, I had a high paid job and a social circle I was part of and I hated all of that. I have never felt so lonely like I did during my childhood, my youth and part of my adult life, where I had to live for the expectations of others rather than getting the chance to do what I want in order to be happy. I have found all of this now and I have found all of this because of you. You are all I ever needed. I don’t need shiny things, I don’t need money, I don’t need any of that stuff. All I need, all I want is you. And I have no idea how I should convince you, how I should make it clear to you that I’m not missing anything of my former life. I left all of that behind and feel like I’m living for the first time ever. I don’t need a man, that has a high paid job, a great reputation or a circle of friends, that’s full of arrogant snobs like my brother. I need a man, that I feel comfortable with, a man, that loves me to the moon and back, a man I can always count on and a man, that’s funny, smart, humble and has a heart of gold. And that man is you, Roman, whether you want to believe it or not. So please, for the love of god, stop trying to talk me into a life, that I don’t want to, as you start acting like my father and my brother did although they had way less noble motives. I am happy with what I have and I don’t need a single other thing. I got you and that is enough. You are my world and that won’t change just because you keep telling yourself that. If you want me gone out of your life because you don’t love me anymore it would shatter my world, but I would learn to deal with it. But then be at least honest with me. You talking yourself down, belittling yourself and telling me what you think would be best for me, has to stop. I can make that decision for myself and I have made that decision a long time ago. Four years ago to be more precise, that moment I met you and decided to stay in your home for the first time.“

**_Some people want it all_**  
**_But I don’t want nothing at all_**  
**_If it ain’t you, baby_**  
**_If I ain’t got you, baby_**

„How can you even think that I don’t love you? You’re holding my heart in your hands, you are the love of my life, you are my world, baby. I love you more than my own life and because I love you so much, I don’t want you to live a poor life as you deserve the world.“

„Have you even listened to me? I don’t give a fuck. I don’t need to live the life of the rich and famous. I want a normal life and this right here is closest to heaven like it could be for me. So stop it already.“, You had lost your calm by now, screaming at Roman although you had tried not to. But right now he just drove you mad. How could one guy be so damn stubborn? Didn’t he want to understand that he was your life and that he was all you needed to be happy? And you would be as long as you were by his side no matter where or how you two had to live? Did you first have to slap some sense into him until he would finally stop it? You leaned down to your boyfriend, your voice strangely distant as you yelled: „If you want me out of your life, just say it. But don’t give me this bullshit again and again.“ You felt how you were tearing up again, scolding yourself to not cry this time, not give in now. Roman held your gaze, not saying a single word, just deciding on his next move. You had enough, you couldn’t take that tensed silence any longer, needed to get out of the room.

Before you could move, however, Roman was reaching out to you, pulling you down on his lap until you fully sat down, one leg on each side of his thighs, not being able to move since his hands rested on your hips, holding you in position. „Let go of me.“, you hissed, trying to push him away, your hands on his chest, with him not moving just a bit. You watched him shake his head, his lips crashing on yours seconds after, his tongue begging for entrance. You knew that you couldn’t resist him, no matter how mad you were. Therefore you found yourself returning his kiss with the same passion he showed to you. Breaking apart after a little eternity the both of you were grasping for air. As you had calmed down Roman placed his index finger on your lips to silence you, knowing you quite well, knowing that you wanted to know what he thought he was doing. You heard his deep voice soothing you, embracing you, when he mumbled: „I’m sorry baby, for all of that. I don’t want to tell you how to live your life. I just… I don’t know. Sometimes I feel that I’m not good enough for you. I know that you don’t think so. But knowing that I can’t give you all of those things I would love to give to you had the worst of me. I… I’m just so scared that you realize in the long run that you had made the wrong decision when staying with me, that you would have been able to do better. I trust you, I really do. And I know that you are honest with me. But there is that tiny voice, and it unfortunately sounds a lot like your father, that keeps telling me that I’m not good enough for you, that I can never be good enough for you.“

You gently touched his cheek, stroking away the tears that were falling down on them, whispering: „And if you listen closely, there should be your father’s voice as well, babe. And he probably is telling you that you are enough in every single way, that you are everything a woman could ask for in a boyfriend, a fiancee, a husband. I love you and I never want to hear anything of that again.“ You had no idea whether you had convinced him, whether you had covered that topic for good. But you learned so shortly after when he pulled out a beautiful ring, asking you: „So you would really stay by my side and live that life here with me? You would really do me the honor of becoming my wife?“ You couldn’t help but smile widely from ear to ear as you whispered: „I absolutely would.“ With that Roman put the ring on your finger, kissing you passionately once again, finally believing you that it was him and him only that you needed in your life.

**_Some people want diamond rings_**  
**_Some just want everything_**  
**_But everything means nothing_**  
**_If I ain’t got you, you, you_**

_*Now*_

„Babe, I don’t have time. I need to get ready. Even if our wedding is small, I need to get dressed. I can’t marry you in my pajamas.“, you laughed out loud, while Roman was covering your eyes with his hands, directing you outside of the house, not telling you where he would lead you to. „You have more than enough time, baby. It’s just a little surprise I want to give you beforehand.“, he chuckled, making you move while you completely trusted him. After that incident shortly before your engagement you were grateful that such a scene had never occurred again. And now… well now there were only a few hours left until you would marry the love of your life. Did it hurt that your family wasn’t there? Of course it did since you had hoped that they would change, had hoped that they could put their materialistic driven thoughts beside and accept you and your love the way they were. But you obviously had hoped wrong. You were sad, but you didn’t dare to show it, didn’t want to give Roman the feeling, that he would push you into a life you didn’t want to live. You just wished, that your family was more tolerant, that was all. You pushed away those thoughts, didn’t want to ruin the most beautiful day in your life with those depressing thoughts. Before you could spiral down deeper, you heard Roman say: „Here we are. Are you ready?“

„I have no idea for what, but I think so, yes.“, you laughed, blinking a few times after Roman put his hands down. „I hope that you like it, baby girl.“ You couldn’t believe your eyes as you were staring at the object in front of you. „How?“, was all you could ask when Roman hugged you from behind, whispering in your ear: „I loved that story you told me about how you got it and hated the sadness in your voice when you told me what had happened. It took me some time to call all of the possible junk yards but eventually I found the right one and I got extremely lucky when they still had it there. So I picked it up, brought it here and repaired it. It’s as good as new.“ You still couldn’t believe your eyes when you whispered: „But Ro. I had told you that story five years ago when I first met you. That means, that you have organized that all of those years ago. Why? You didn’t even know whether you would see me again.“

„Well I had hoped that I would. And if I hadn’t I would have kept it for myself as it would have reminded me of you and how happy I was the moment I met you. And after we started dating and everything developed in that beautiful way it did, I just waited for the perfect occasion to give it to you and here we are.“ You wouldn’t have thought, that you would see your beloved VW Beetle, the car you worked for and paid with your own money, the car your father hated and you defended with everything you got, that you would ever see it again. And yet it was standing in front of you now, having been completely restored by the man you loved, the man, that was only a stranger back when you told your story, the man, that listened and wanted to give you back what you had missed ever since, the man, that would be your husband in a few hours, the man, that was your life. You were almost overwhelmed by your feelings as you turned around in his arms, hugging him tightly before you pulled his head down, giving him a soft kiss, whispering: „I don’t know what to say and I certainly don’t have enough words for that. Thank you so much babe, you have no idea how much that means to me and how moved and happy I am right now.“

„You’re very welcome, sweetheart. I’m glad that you like it. And… well actually I have another surprise for you as well.“, he let you know. „Another surprise? Babe, the VW Beetle is the greatest thing you could have surprised me with. What else could you give me?“

„Something you probably value even more. At least if you are honest to yourself and give it some time.“ You must have looked at him in pure confusion, causing him to chuckle as he whispered: „Turn around.“ You did what he had told you, not believing your eyes once again as you saw the persons standing there, that had tossed you out of their lives three years ago. You could tell that they had no idea how to act, that your father & mother as well as your brother and your sister in law were embarrassed seeing you again. Not due to the setting but due to their initial behavior.

**_Some people want it all_**  
**_But I don’t want nothing at all_**  
**_If it ain’t you, baby_**  
**_If I ain’t got you, baby_**

„What are you doing here?“, you wanted to know, not sure whether your voice sounded hostile or relieved. It took them some moments to find the right words for an answer and it was your father finally coming up with a reply. His voice was collected but full of emotions and unshed tears as he explained: „I’m so sorry, sweetheart, we all are, for how we have treated you, the both of you to be more precise. We were completely blinded by our attitude, by our false assumptions and our prejudices, our craving for money, that we actually lost track of what was important. Roman had visited us, telling us about your upcoming wedding and informing us how you were living your life, how happy you were and how much you nevertheless still suffered due to us having acted like we did. And I can’t tell you how sorry we are. We know, I know, that I have been as disgusting as I could be, that I was so blinded in wanting the best for you, that I didn’t even care that the best according to my definition wasn’t the best according to yours. I know now, that you have found the kindest man out there and I’m sorry that I haven’t realized that back then. I always wanted you to be happy, princess, and I was disgusted by myself after having said all of those terrible things to you, after having sent you away, but it was too late then and I was way too ashamed to find a way out of this misery, to ask you for forgiveness, to beg you to come back into our lives. We love you and we want you to be happy no matter what, even if you probably don’t believe us now. When Roman visited us, he told us that it would mean a lot to you if we would be here and if we would accept the way you chose your life and that’s what we want to do if you let us. We miss you.“

„Why? Why have you been so terrible in the first place? Why did you feel like money and wealth was worth more than anything else. Why didn’t you love me when I was a kid and a teenager?“ You just needed to know. You were absolutely emotional seeing them again, not being able to put your emotions into words. You had no idea how much it had taken from Roman to head to your family, knowing that they thought that he was dirt and yet he did so, talking to them, knowing you way too well than to believe you that you weren’t missing them one bit, when in reality you prayed that they would become more humble people, that they would apologize for their behavior, holding out a hand for you to reach, giving you the option to welcome them back with open arms. You had no idea how he must have felt and nevertheless was willing to go through since he loved you so much and just wanted you to be happy no matter what. With regard to your family your emotions were completely mixed. On the one hand you were happy to see them again, on the other hand you hadn’t forgotten about anything that had happened, haven’t forgotten about how they had treated you and the man you loved. You just needed to know. This time it was your mother answering: „We love you sweetheart and we have always done so. We know that he had a terrible way of showing that but…“

„We have messed up, plain and simple.“, your father added, continuing shortly after: „I have never told you about my past and now I watch history repeating itself.“

„What do you mean?“

„I was not always the man, that I am now. And it was only five years ago that I realized that I turned into what I had despised the most. I didn’t grow up wealthy, didn’t grow up in the circle I found myself in later. My parents were living a normal life, not too rich, not too poor, but we were lucky with what we had. My father worked as a janitor in your grandfather’s company. I used to help him on a regular basis, meeting your mother there one day. It didn’t take long until we fell in love with your grandfather not accepting me as I was not good enough for your mother. And just like you, she didn’t want to listen. We had to overcome a lot of obstacles, I was working a lot of night shifts to finance my law study and it was a bumpy ride until I had the chance to open up my own law firm with my parents supporting me. Only with the clients increasing and the money coming in did your grandfather start to accept me no matter what my social background was. That’s when I swore myself, that I want my kids to be in a better position, that I want them to have no matter what they asked for, that I want them to not have the feeling of not possessing enough, of not being accepted. I got absolutely blinded by that thought and before I realized it I had become just like your mother’s father, the man I actually couldn’t stand back then, the man I never wanted to be. I lost track of what was important in life, denying my own past, my own roots. I always wanted to be a father, that accepts and supports his kids no matter what life they wanted to live, but I got completely lost along the way. And I’m so sorry for that. Roman reminded me way too much of myself, brought back all of those fears I had when I was his age. It was like experiencing all of that again and I just snapped. I have acted in the worst way possible and I’m so sorry for that, Y/N. But now I’m here to ask you for forgiveness, I’m here to ask you for a second chance to do things right, to welcome me… us… back into your life. As a wise man not too long ago told me, that it doesn’t matter what your background or your lifestyle is, since the only thing that’s important is being kind to each other. A wise man, you happen to marry in a few hours and it would be our honor if you wanted to have us there with you on that special day.“

**_Some people want diamond rings_**  
**_Some just want everything_**  
**_But everything means nothing_**  
**_If I ain’t got you, yeah_**

You felt how your tears were streaming down your face. Of course, you couldn’t just forget and forgive what they had done to you and how they had treated the man you loved, but you were moved. Not only by their words as you would have never expected them to admit how they did you wrong, how nasty their views on their way of life was, but even more so because you could only imagine how hard it must have been for Roman to make that step, to visit those people, that had decided that he was not good enough for you and that had tossed you out of their middle due to that and yet he went there as he knew you better than anyone else, knew that no matter what had happened it pained you, that they wouldn’t be there, pained you, that they hadn’t searched for your forgiveness, pained you, that they had not been able to accept your love. And yet he went to them, talked sense into them and managed that they would ask for your forgiveness, all because his family told him to be humble and kind, told him that the most important thing in life was being there for each other and loving each other, no matter how different your background might have been.

You nodded your head as you said, your voice heavy with emotion: „I would love to.“ With that you headed over to your family, knowing that it would be a long way until you would be able to forgive them, but right now, you were happy that they had taken the responsibility for their wrong behavior and that was more than you could have ever imagined from them. As they hugged you one after another, they told you how sorry they were once again and how much you meant to them, giving you some time to process right afterwards as they left you and Roman alone. You were walking back to him, wrapping your hands around his neck once you had reached him and whispered: „Thank you so much babe. I can’t even express how much this means to me.“

„No need to.“, he said, whipping away your tears before he gave you a gentle kiss. When you broke apart he added: „Not having a family can be cruel. I know, that they had treated you so terribly but they are really sorry. And I promised you, that I would make you happy no matter what. I’m intending to keep that promise.“

„I love you so much.“, you said moved with Roman replying: „I love you more.“

**_If I ain’t got you with me, baby_**  
**_Said nothing in this whole wide world don’t mean a thing_**  
**_If I ain’t got you with me, baby_**

You couldn’t believe, that you had found the man of your dreams due to a car you hated breaking down. And yet there you were marrying him in just a couple of hours. Life couldn’t have been better for you and you couldn’t wait to see what the future held for you in that small town, living in your husband’s parental home, that completely belonged to you after his sister had moved into the city, helping him with his work in the garage and gas station and raising your kid, that you already carried under your heart without Roman knowing it yet. But right there and then you promised that it would grow up the same way its father did, valuing the little things in life, staying humble and kind and helping people, that needed help like Roman always did. Yes, you finally had found the life you had dreamed of ever since you were a little kid and you couldn’t have been more grateful for that than you already were.


End file.
